Because bromine is corrosive, its storage and shipment requires special vessels and precautions. This invention pertains to means for recovering bromine from ethylene dibromide, a compound that is readily stored and shipped. The reaction employed to recover bromine is simple to carry out and requires common reactants. 1-Bromo-2-chloroethane is a byproduct.
Israeli Pat. No. 17898 is directed to bromine recovery. It markedly differs from the present process in (1) specifying a bromoalkane having either two bromines linked to the same carbon or three bromine atoms in the molecule, and (2) using antimony pentachloride as a chlorine source. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,033, issued June 1, 1976, applicant and Kestutis A. Keblys disclose bromine is produced by reacting chlorine and ethylene dibromide in the presence of an aluminum halide catalyst, e.g. aluminum chloride. A small amount of bromine present prior to chlorine addition shortens the induction period. Some decomposition of the organic product occurs if it is distilled in the presence of aluminumcontaining residues. These residues can be removed by water wash which can be followed by drying with H.sub.2 SO.sub.4. After such treatment, ethylene dichloride can be recovered by distillation without substantial decomposition.